Watch D.O.G.S. program making a difference with young students

Watch D.O.G.S. are making an impact, one day at a time.

D.O.G.S. stands for "Dads of Great Students." The program focuses on getting men to take a more active role in the lives of young people.

On Friday, Nick Deakins was the star of the show at Central Elementary.

"It was actually really cool, but it is actually all about the kids," he said. "It was neat to see their faces and see how much they actually enjoy having a role model here."

Deakins gave spelling tests. He played at recess. He even read Dr. Seuss as part of the program.

"It is very important because kids nowadays, it is really difficult to see have a male role model in their lives," Deakins said. "It is very nice to have something like this program where you can actually do that."

Greeting students, giving high-fives in the hallway and taking care of untied shoelaces may not seem like much, but administrators said it makes a big difference.

"They get extremely excited to know that Watch Dog might be coming to their classroom," said Student Services Coordinator Lori Schroeder. "They will come up to me and say, 'is he going to be in my room today?' The kids are extremely excited and so are the teachers. They really enjoy having the extra set of eyes and ears at Central."

Watch D.O.G.S. requires only one day a year, but Nick said he hopes it helps make a lifelong difference.

Central Elementary is one of only four schools in Indiana taking part in Watch D.O.G.S. So far more than 40 dads have come forward, willing to spend a day at their child's school.

Click here to learn more about the Watch D.O.G.S. Program.